In Germany 85% of adults want to raise the minimum age for social networks at 16; It is surprising that 47% of the 14–17 -year -olds are favorable. They worry mental health and school performance.
A clear majority of the German population is in favor of a more severe age limit for the use of social media: 85% of adults would like a minimum age of 16 to have an account on social media. This is demonstrated by the results of the representative IFO survey on education 2025, for which adults and young people were interviewed throughout Germany. Even between 14 and 17 years old, a relative majority of the interviewees, 47%, declare themselves favorable.
Social media play a central role for young people and adults
Many see negative consequences for children and teenagers, for example for their mental health or school performance. “The results show that the population is strongly worried about the possible risks related to the use of social media,” says Ludger Woeßmann, director of the IFO center for the economy of education. “It is surprising that many young people are favorable to more severe rules,” adds the IFFO researcher true Freundl. Social media now play a central role in the daily life of the German population: 78% of young people and 58% of adults spend more than an hour a day on social media during the week. However, 47% of adults would prefer to live in a world without social media and only 40% would prefer to live in a world with social media. On the contrary, 68% of young people prefer to live in a world with social media.
Two out of three young people would like Ai as a study subject at school
A clear majority of interviewees is also in favor of the ban on the use of smartphones at school. In elementary school, 64% of adults and 57% of young people would like to prohibit the use of cell phones during lessons; In secondary schools, the percentages are 63% and 58% respectively. At the same time, 66% of young people would like the use of artificial intelligence to be taught in class. “This indicates that young people want clear limits for the technology that distracts, but also a targeted support for digital skills oriented to the future,” says the co -author Katharina Wedel.
(Red-Lab/Labilolia)
